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Nichole Geiger emerges from the open-water swim portion of the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge

Women's Triathlon 3/4/2017 4:33:00 PM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Wildcat Tri-Athletes Compete At Clermont Draft Legal Challenge

CLERMONT, Fla. - The Daemen College women's triathlon team returned to competition today for the first time since late September today with athletes competing in two different races as part of the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge held at Lake Louisa State Park.

Graduate student Ashley Cheff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) competed in the Under-25 Elite Development Race this morning, finishing 23rd overall (out of 46 competitors) with a time of 1:13:29. Cheff completed the race-opening swim in 13:26, putting her in 25th position as the tri-athletes shifted to the cycling portion of the race. She completed the cycling portion in 38:21, before posting a running time of 20:33. Cheff's running time ranked ninth in the field.

Severine Bouchez topped the field with a time of 1:05.31, edging runner-up Chelsea Sodaro (1:05:42) by 11 seconds.

For Cheff, it was her first triathlon since winning the female elite open division at the Deer Creek Fall Challenge on Sept. 25. In the interim, she has competed for both the Daemen cross country and indoor track and field teams. She'll compete again Sunday in the second day of competition for the Under-25 Elite Development Race

Later in the day, Nichole Geiger (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) and Jenifer Igoe (Oakfield, N.Y./Oakfield-Alabama) competed within their own age group in the Draft Legal Challenge Race, finishing 17th and 20th, respectively, out of 25 competitors. Geiger posted a time of 1:28:30, while Igoe finished in 1:31:10. The top time (1:14:29) in their race came from Lesley Quinlan .\

Both races today featured a 750-meter open-water swim in Lake Louisa, followed by a 20-kilometer cycling portion and a 5-kilometer run.

The sport of triathlon was termed an Emerging Sport For Women by the NCAA in January of 2014, establishing a 10-year window for the formation of 40 intercollegiate programs. At present, according to USA Triathlon which oversees intercollegiate competitions, Daemen is one of 13 schools in the country to sponsor a varsity triathlon program for women.

For continuing coverage of the Daemen women's triathlon team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenTriathlon on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Cheff: 5' 1"; Graduate Student

Nichole Geiger: 5' 6"; Junior

Jenifer Igoe: 5' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Ashley Cheff
: 5' 1"; Graduate Student

Nichole Geiger
: 5' 6"; Junior

Jenifer Igoe
: 5' 0"; Junior